Americans United - Rick Perryhttps://www.au.org/tags/rick-perry
enThe Whine Of The Never Satisfied: Religious Right Complains Because GOP Isn’t Theocratic Enoughhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/the-whine-of-the-never-satisfied-religious-right-complains-because-gop-isn
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The most gifted politician in the world wouldn’t be able to perfume a political concept – theocratic government – that is festering with rot from within and that has shown itself, repeatedly throughout history, to be incompatible with democracy, freedom and fundamental human rights.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Every couple of years, a story surfaces in the media about Religious Right leaders and their latest whine-fest. The script goes like this: They’re not happy because they still haven’t gotten everything they want.</p><p>Mind you, this is a movement that has the Republican Party more or less in a headlock. Over the years, its leaders have systematically driven every moderate from the party’s national leadership. No serious Republican presidential contender can hope for success without coming to some accommodation with the Religious Right. Movement activists are an influential, if not controlling, force in many state branches of the GOP.</p><p>Yet its leaders still are not happy.</p><p>The latest version of the Religious Right mope-a-thon comes courtesy of <em>The Washington Post</em>, which on Sunday <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/some-evangelicals-in-republican-party-are-feeling-left-out-see-no-standard-bearer/2014/08/16/77c380e8-224e-11e4-958c-268a320a60ce_story.html">ran a story</a> headlined “Some evangelicals in Republican Party are feeling left out, see no standard-bearer.”</p><p>The story quoted longtime Religious Right activist Gary Bauer, who carped, “Values voters have been treated as the stepchildren of the family, while the party has wanted to get on with so-called more electorally popular ideas. The Republican base will not tolerate another candidate foisted upon us as a guy who can win.”</p><p>The fact is, Bauer and his gang have had several standard-bearers lately: Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, Ben Carson and Herman Cain, to name just a few.</p><p>Of course, there is a drawback to these candidates (or would-be candidates) – chiefly, they are all extremists who make many American voters recoil.</p><p>Maybe, just maybe, the problem isn’t a lack of candidates. Maybe it’s the ideas the Religious Right insist that these candidates espouse.</p><p>The Religious Right is a movement predicated on the belief that clerics who cling to a literal interpretation of ancient writings deemed holy and infallible by some people (who, naturally, cannot agree among themselves what these books say) can best make moral decisions for a nation of 318 million people of every conceivable religious and philosophical point of view.</p><p>Most Americans aren’t interested in living in a Christian fundamentalist/Middle Ages Catholic theocracy. Thus, it’s not surprising that the movement hasn’t been able to find a “standard-bearer” to make its idea palatable to Americans. The most gifted politician in the world wouldn’t be able to perfume a political concept – theocratic government – that is festering with rot from within and that has shown itself, repeatedly throughout history, to be incompatible with democracy, freedom and fundamental human rights.</p><p>I suspect what’s really bothering Bauer and his ilk is the almost-certain knowledge that their extreme agenda is losing support. Most Americans are growing more tolerant of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage. They are not interested in having their children learn fundamentalist dogma in place of science in public school. They don’t yearn for the days of clerical censorship. They are weary of Puritan busybodies who want to meddle in our personal decisions regarding sex. They don’t want to go back to the sexist days of the 1950s. They don’t seek a government that has a favorite religion and treats the members of all others like second-class citizens.</p><p>Total domination of the state at all levels by intolerant, exclusionary, narrow-minded and reactionary fundamentalism has always been the standard of the Religious Right. Its leaders and activists have made no secret of this. They are zealots who long to use their warped definition of the Bible as device to control others.</p><p>It’s a pretty lousy standard, when you think of it. Sure, someone like Huckabee (who, let’s be honest here, is dangerously close to becoming a far-right version of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Stassen">Harold Stassen</a>) is willing to run under it. Is it any wonder that candidates who are serious about winning on the national stage are reluctant to grab it?</p><p>The irony is, successfully GOP candidates, such as President George W. Bush, still end up giving much to the Religious Right. Bush used regulatory changes and executive orders to funnel tax money to right-wing evangelical groups through the “faith-based” initiative. He instructed the U.S. Justice Department to take stands in court that were not favorable to church-state separation. Perhaps most importantly, he appointed men and women with extreme views to the federal judiciary.</p><p>But that’s never enough for the zealots of the Religious Right – because what they want is a different type of America entirely. Instead of a secular constitution that grants freedom of belief to all resting on the separation of church and state, they want a merger of their religion and government in a theocratic state.</p><p>Let them keep complaining. Someday, if we’re lucky, there will no longer be enough of them to build up even a half-audible whine. </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-perry">Rick Perry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ben-carson">Ben Carson</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mike-huckabee">Mike Huckabee</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-santorum">Rick Santorum</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/harold-stassen">Harold Stassen</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/george-w-bush-0">George W Bush</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gary-bauer">Gary Bauer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-right-0">Religious Right</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/republican-party">Republican Party</a></span></div></div>Mon, 18 Aug 2014 14:38:25 +0000Rob Boston10379 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/the-whine-of-the-never-satisfied-religious-right-complains-because-gop-isn#commentsFundamentalist Forum: Religious Right To Grill Candidates On ‘Questions Of The Soul’ https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/fundamentalist-forum-religious-right-to-grill-candidates-on-%E2%80%98questions-of
<a href="/about/people/simon-brown">Simon Brown</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Today, too many candidates use their religious faith as a selling point to convince voters that they are qualified to lead this country, but last time I checked, these candidates are running for president of the United States, not senior pastor of the local church.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Tomorrow afternoon, most of the Republican presidential candidates will come together in Iowa for the latest in a seemingly endless series of debates as they try to prove to the electorate that they are qualified to be the leader of the United States.</p><p>Unlike previous debates, which have been sponsored primarily by news organizations, this one is a “forum” sponsored by an Iowa Religious Right group called The FAMiLY Leader, CitizenLink (an affiliate of the James Dobson-founded Focus on the Family) and the National Organization for Marriage.</p><p>The confirmed participants are former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (Texas) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.). Conspicuously absent are the two Mormon candidates, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.</p><p><a href="http://www.thefamilyleader.com/pollster-frank-luntz-to-moderate-the-thanksgiving-family-forum-for-republican-presidential-candidates">The event is being billed</a> by FAMiLY Leader President Bob Vander Plaats as an opportunity “simply to learn about [candidates’] worldviews and to listen to their hearts on key family issues. The discussion will allow us to see a more personal side of the candidates.”</p><p>Oh, and the “forum” is going to take place at First Federated Church, a fundamentalist Christian congregation in Des Moines.</p><p>Tom Minnery of CitizenLink <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/individuals/tom-minnery">elaborated on</a> both the forum and its purpose recently on the <em>Janet Mefferd Show</em>. (H/T to our friends over at RightWing Watch.)</p><p>“We have decided,” said Minnery, “that, wouldn’t it be wonderful for at least one presidential debate to have the candidates respond to questions of the heart, questions of the soul? For example, I’ll just give you one of the questions we’ll be asking them: ‘If you are elected president you will be taking the oath of office, the last words in that oath of office will be ‘so help me God,’ what will that mean to you?’”</p><p>Minnery went on to say the White House hopefuls will also be questioned on same-sex marriage and other social issues near and dear to the Religious Right.</p><p>So bottom line: this event is about fundamentalist Christians grilling the candidates about their personal religious beliefs and whether they are willing to impose those beliefs on all Americans through government action.</p><p>Where have you gone, John F. Kennedy? As a candidate in 1960, the future president addressed concerns that as a Catholic, he would answer to the Pope.</p><p>“I believe in an America,” he said, in a famous address to Protestant clergy in Houston, “where the separation of church and state is absolute--where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote--where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference--and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the president who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.”</p><p>Today, too many candidates use their religious faith as a selling point to convince voters that they are qualified to lead this country, but last time I checked, these candidates are running for president of the United States, not senior pastor of the local church. Candidates for office should not devote large amounts of time (the upcoming Iowa forum is scheduled to last two hours) to politically charged professions of faith.</p><p>Religious Right leaders spend an awful lot of time ranting about how America is going down the drain. Yet when they sponsor a forum where the candidates get an opportunity to speak, the White House hopefuls are not asked to offer solutions to any of the issues that are truly harming the United States, like the economy and foreign policy.</p><p>Instead, as usual, Religious Right zealots just want to do everything they can to impose their religious beliefs on all of us through the political process.</p><p>As JFK also said in 1960: “These are the real issues which should decide this campaign. And they are not religious issues – for war and hunger and ignorance and despair know no religious barriers.”</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/prayer-at-government-events-and-legislative-meetings">Prayer at Government Events and Legislative Meetings</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/focus-family">Focus On The Family</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/national-organization-for-marriage">National Organization for Marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/family-leader">FAMiLY Leader</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/john-f-kennedy">John F. Kennedy</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/herman-cain">Herman Cain</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-perry">Rick Perry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ron-paul">Ron Paul</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/michele-bachmann">Michele Bachmann</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mitt-romney">Mitt Romney</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/newt-gingrich">Newt Gingrich</a></span></div></div>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:17:06 +0000Simon Brown6384 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/fundamentalist-forum-religious-right-to-grill-candidates-on-%E2%80%98questions-of#commentsAmen To Pastor Jeffress: Why The Dallas Bigot Is Doing Us All A Servicehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/amen-to-pastor-jeffress-why-the-dallas-bigot-is-doing-us-all-a-service
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">If a candidate is committed to church-state separation, you don’t have to worry much about whether he nods toward Rome, Mecca or Salt Lake City when he prays.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The Rev. Robert Jeffress just won’t shut up, and for that, I thank him.</p>
<p>You know Jeffress, the Texas preacher who infamously endorsed “ born-again follower of the Lord Jesus Christ” Rick Perry while denouncing Mitt Romney as a member of the Mormon “cult.” Since his debut on the national stage at the <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2011/11/inside-the-values-voter.html?utm_source=au%2Bhomepage&amp;utm_medium=homepage%2Bbanner&amp;utm_campaign=Featured%2Bon%20homepage">Values Voter Summit</a>, Jeffress has added Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism to his list of “false” religions, and I’m sure it won’t be long before Zoroastrianism makes the grade as well.</p>
<p>The pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas has been all over the media in recent days, spreading his venomous take on religion and politics. Today he appears <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-jeffress-why-a-candidates-faith-matters/2011/10/18/gIQAErFEvL_story.html">on the op-ed page</a> of <em>The Washington Post </em>with a screed on “Why a candidate’s faith matters.”</p>
<p>“[O]ur religious beliefs,” he says, “define the very essence of who we are” and so evangelicals should vote in the GOP primary for a man who is “both a competent leader and a committed Christian.” If Romney gets the Republican nod, he may have to vote for him, but he hopes it doesn’t come to that.</p>
<p>Jeffress marshals all kinds of bogus arguments to support his naked religious bigotry.</p>
<p>For example, he says that Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, which forbids religious tests for public office, applies only to the government, not individual voters.</p>
<p>Jeffress is, I suppose, technically right about this. When you step into the voting booth, you can vote on the basis of all kinds of spurious considerations, including personal prejudices. You will have only your conscience to answer to, and as we know, some people don’t have very delicate consciences.</p>
<p>But Jeffress’ approach to voting is certainly in violation of the spirit of our Constitution and the vision of our nation’s Founders. Thomas Jefferson, a leading advocate of American religious liberty, said, “It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods, or no God.” Other Founders were equally broadminded, creating a nation where all citizens are equal regardless of their views about religion.</p>
<p>It goes without saying that Pastor Jeffress wouldn’t have voted for Jefferson for president. Or George Washington or James Madison or Abraham Lincoln or Theodore Roosevelt or Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They weren’t “born again,” as far as we know, any more than most of our presidents have been, up until recently.</p>
<p>In a feeble attempt to recruit at least one Founder to his side, Jeffress rolls out John Jay, an author of the Federalist Papers and the nation’s first chief justice. Jay, Jeffress recalls, said, “It is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”</p>
<p>Unlike some fabricated quotes from the Founders that the Religious Right often wave about, this Jay observation is accurate. But I hardly think Mr. Jay is proper role model for 21st-century America.</p>
<p>Jay, like Jeffress, had a rather narrow definition of what religious liberty means or, for that matter, what the term Christian encompasses. Catholics, for example, weren’t included. In 1777 in the New York constitutional convention, he fought hard to exclude Catholics from the state’s religious liberty protection. His proposed amendment would have forbidden Catholics to own land or exercise civil rights unless they took an oath repudiating the “dangerous and damnable doctrine that the pope…has power to absolve men from sins.” (The proposal failed on a 19-10 vote.)</p>
<p>Jeffress has attacked the Catholic Church as a “cult-like pagan religion,” so I can see why he thinks John Jay was a swell fellow. But Jay was wrong about religious liberty. We weren’t a Christian nation then, and we aren’t one now. Rather, we are a nation where some 2,000 different religious groups and traditions thrive and where millions of Americans follow no spiritual path at all.</p>
<p>Now, I’m not going to be drawn into the question of which religions are true and which religions are false. All of us have opinions about that and, like Jeffress, we’re free to express them.</p>
<p>Where Jeffress goes so wrong, however, is melding his personal religious beliefs so tightly with his political actions. He’s a born-again Christian and believes evangelical Christianity is the one true faith, so he’s going to do his damnedest to get someone with his faith perspective into the White House.</p>
<p>Jeffress wants this, not because of simple affection for fellow believers, but because he thinks his man will impose that one true faith on all Americans through government action. In keeping with his beliefs, he hopes his candidate will ban all abortions, deny civil rights to LGBT Americans, wedge religion into the public schools, fund religious academies, appoint Supreme Court justices like Antonin Scalia and generally take a bulldozer to the wall of separation between church and state.</p>
<p>If Jeffress’ dream comes true, all of us who fail to meet his religious test will be second-class citizens in our own land.</p>
<p>Here’s the bottom line: A candidate’s beliefs about religion should only matter if he or she plans to push them through government action. If a candidate is committed to church-state separation, you don’t have to worry much about whether he nods toward Rome, Mecca or Salt Lake City when he prays. Or even Dallas.</p>
<p>And that’s why I thank Jeffress. These days, many leaders in the powerful Religious Right movement think exactly as he does, but they don’t have the temerity to say it out loud. Jeffress reminds us that there is a mean streak in the Religious Right that is deep and wide.</p>
<p>Americans who thought that Religious Right bigotry and sectarian zealotry died with Jerry Falwell now know better.</p>
<p>So keep preaching, Brother Jeffress. Every time you open your mouth, another alarmed citizen joins Americans United for Separation of Church and State.</p>
<p>I won’t say amen to your politicization of religion, but you’re educating a lot of people about the challenges we face as a nation. With men like you on the loose, we need church-state separation now more than ever.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mitt-romney">Mitt Romney</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-politics">Religion and politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-the-presidential-race">religion and the presidential race</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-tests-for-public-office">religious tests for public office</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-perry">Rick Perry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/robert-jeffress">Robert Jeffress</a></span></div></div>Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:28:20 +0000Joseph L. Conn6159 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/amen-to-pastor-jeffress-why-the-dallas-bigot-is-doing-us-all-a-service#commentsGroup says IRS should investigate church for endorsing Rick Perryhttps://www.au.org/news/group-says-irs-should-investigate-church-for-endorsing-rick-perry
<div class="field field-name-field-news-source field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Associated Baptist Press</div></div></div>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0000Anonymous6113 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/news/group-says-irs-should-investigate-church-for-endorsing-rick-perry#commentsScaling The Summit: This Weekend, AU Will Be Up Close And Personal With The Religious Righthttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/scaling-the-summit-this-weekend-au-will-be-up-close-and-personal-with-the
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">AU descends into the lions&#039; den.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>It’s going to be a lovely fall weekend in Washington, D.C., -- and I’ll be spending most of it inside surrounded by thousands of Religious Right zealots.</p>
<p>Yes, it’s time for the Family Research Council’s “Values Voter Summit.” This annual gathering, which begins today, has become the nation’s premier Religious Right confab. I wouldn’t think of missing it! After all, how often do you get to hear Ed Meese speak these days?</p>
<p>It’s pretty clear what this meeting is all about: It’s essentially a rally to fire up the Religious Right’s shock troops for the next election so they’ll go out and elect the most conservative candidates possible (and politicize their churches). The FRC doesn’t even pretend to be non-partisan. Top leaders of the Republican Party address the gathering, along with a bevy of far-right heavy hitters.</p>
<p>All of the major GOP presidential hopefuls will be on hand to make their best pitch for support. It should be interesting to see how this plays out. With Sarah Palin out of the running, the field is wide open. Yet each candidate, from the Religious Right’s perspective, has faults.</p>
<p>Texas Gov. Rick Perry came on strong but has run afoul of the conservative establishment’s pundit class after a poor debate performance and other gaffes. Mitt Romney is a Mormon. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann is dropping in the polls, and there are doubts about her ability to compete nationally. Pizza magnate Herman Cain gives a great speech but has never held public office and has some unusual ideas. (A 9 percent national sales tax? That sounds awfully European to me!) U.S. Rep. Ron Paul believes drugs should be legalized. Newt Gingrich is – well, he’s Newt Gingrich.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the FRC is holding a straw poll during the event, and somebody will win.</p>
<p>The event is also an opportunity for followers of the Religious Right to vent a collective spleen at the people and things they hate the most. This list includes President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, gay people, feminists, public education, evolution, Europe, legal abortion, the health care bill, global climate change, atheists, secularism, sex education, the United Nations, MSNBC, NPR, PBS, SpongeBob SquarePants, etc.</p>
<p>We’ll give you an update on Monday, and we’ll have a full report on the meeting in November’s <em>Church &amp; State</em>.</p>
<p>Enjoy your weekend – and keep a good thought for those of us on the AU staff who are descending into the lions’ den.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/family-research-council-frc">Family research Council (FRC)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/herman-cain">Herman Cain</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/michele-bachmann">Michele Bachmann</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mitt-romney">Mitt Romney</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-perry">Rick Perry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ron-paul">Ron Paul</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/values-voter-summit">Values Voter Summit</a></span></div></div>Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:42:29 +0000Rob Boston6164 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/scaling-the-summit-this-weekend-au-will-be-up-close-and-personal-with-the#comments‘The Response’ And The Truth: Houston Prayer Rally Kicked Off ‘Biblical’ Political Campaignhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/%E2%80%98the-response%E2%80%99-and-the-truth-houston-prayer-rally-kicked-off-%E2%80%98biblical%E2%80%99
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Religious Right folks can be sneaky, that’s for sure.</p>
<p>They know the best way to surreptitiously influence elections: hold an event at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas; say it’s about prayer not politics; collect thousands of email addresses through the event’s registration process; and two weeks later, send out a mass email urging attendees to show up at the polls and recruit others to go along.</p>
<p>I was fortunate enough to be one of those who received this enticing email after registering and attending “The Response,” the fundamentalist prayer-and-fasting service put on Aug. 6 by the American Family Association (AFA) and allies at the behest of Texas Gov. Rick Perry.</p>
<p>In the <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2011/08/the-response-email-thankyou.pdf">message</a>, which showed up in my junk email filter yesterday, AFA founder Don Wildmon told registrants about Champion the Vote (CTV), a “friend” of AFA whose goal is to register five million “conservative Christians” who will vote according to “the Biblical worldview” in 2012.</p>
<p>The email reminds us that “[o]nly half of the Christians in the United States are registered to vote. Imagine the impact we could make on the future of America if these Christians made their voices heard in the voting booth!” (Remember, when Wildmon uses the word “Christian,” he doesn’t mean the vast majority of members of that faith; he’s talking about fundamentalists who share his theocratic ambitions.)</p>
<p>Well, so much for The Response not being about politics, as the AFA and Perry so adamantly claimed. They said this was only about prayer.</p>
<p>HA! Funny how it doesn’t take long before the truth really comes out.</p>
<p>Still, Eric Bearse, a spokesman with The Response and who is now with the Perry presidential campaign, says that the prayer extravaganza never had a political purpose.</p>
<p>“The Perry campaign hasn't used any of the data from the event for any type of political purpose," Bearse told the <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7703405.html#ixzz1VUSrwMkf"><em>Houston Chronicle</em></a>. "The AFA sending out an email to register people – if that is political, then I guess so is the activity of the secretary of states' offices in all 50 states."</p>
<p>Ummm, sorry, Eric! A national campaign to sign up fundamentalist voters to cast ballots as a bloc for “biblical” candidates is quite different from voter registration offices run by our secretaries of state!</p>
<p>Americans United has been a <a href="http://blog.au.org/2011/08/08/responding-to-%E2%80%98the-response%E2%80%99-au-and-allies-offer-alternative-to-perry-prayer-rally/?utm_source=au%2Bhomepage&amp;utm_medium=homepage%2Bbanner&amp;utm_campaign=Featured%2Bon%20homepage">leading critic</a> of The Response since the day we first heard about it, calling it out for being a church-state separation infringement and a shameless political stunt to energize the Religious Right faithful in advance of the 2012 elections.</p>
<p>My fellow Response attendee, AU Executive Director Barry W. Lynn, also received the friendly “get out the vote” email reminder and has this to say:</p>
<p>“This event was a total fraud. It wasn’t about spirituality; it was about partisan politics and electing people who share the Religious Right’s extreme agenda. This email is proof. When Don Wildmon says he wants to activate millions of Americans who will vote a ‘biblical worldview’ in 2012, he means one thing: he wants fundamentalist Christians to control the government and impose their religious beliefs on everyone. Americans who believe in diversity and equality better sit up and take notice.”</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/prayer-at-government-events-and-legislative-meetings">Prayer at Government Events and Legislative Meetings</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/american-family-association">American Family Association</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-perry">Rick Perry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/response">The Response</a></span></div></div>Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:25:09 +0000Sandhya Bathija2555 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/%E2%80%98the-response%E2%80%99-and-the-truth-houston-prayer-rally-kicked-off-%E2%80%98biblical%E2%80%99#commentsNo Amen From Us: Perry Prayer Rally Gets Judge’s Approval, But Not Ourshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/no-amen-from-us-perry-prayer-rally-gets-judge%E2%80%99s-approval-but-not-ours
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>I’m heading to Houston, folks! I’ll be accompanying Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn as we join with the Texas ACLU and other progressive allies to put on a rally on the night before Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s fundamentalist Christian prayer fest.</p>
<p>Perry has teamed with the American Family Association (designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center) and is sponsoring “The Response,” a day of prayer and fasting at Reliant Stadium. They have made it clear that their Aug. 6 event reflects a “Christians only” ethos, and <a href="http://blog.au.org/2011/07/20/correcting-a-confused-columnist-why-gov-perry%E2%80%99s-exclusionary-prayer-event-is-wrong-for-texas-%E2%80%93-and-america/">no other religious groups</a> are invited to participate. Perry and the AFA seem to think fundamentalist Christians are the only ones who can and should pray for our country’s betterment.</p>
<p>In contrast, AU’s “<a href="http://www.americanindependent.com/195840/aclu-au-to-host-faith-family-and-freedom-rally-to-counter-perrys-response">Family, Faith and Freedom</a>” celebration will include speakers from many different faith traditions as well as nonbelievers. (More details on the time and location of our event to come.) Lynn will be speaking on the importance of church-state separation, and why it’s problematic for Perry to be sending the message that only Christians of a specific variety are qualified to contribute to the public good.</p>
<p>This is a great chance for those disgusted by Perry’s actions to come out and say so. It’s open to the public. After all, it seems like this may be our only recourse. A federal district judge ruled yesterday that there is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/us/politics/29perry.html">nothing any of us</a> can do legally to stop Perry from supporting one religious belief over others.</p>
<p>Never mind what the Constitution says or what our Founding Fathers wanted, U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller said the Freedom from Religion Foundation can’t block the government-endorsed event in court. He ruled that the five plaintiffs in <em><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/61176464/FFRF-v-Perry-7-11">Freedom from Religion Foundation, Inc. v. Perry</a></em> have suffered no real injury and do not have “standing” (the right to sue) to stop Perry from meddling in religion in this fashion.</p>
<p>In other words, Judge Miller has slammed the door on church-state separationists as they seek to defend their constitutional rights.</p>
<p>How Judge Miller can claim that this hasn’t caused the citizens of Texas any injury is beyond me. Texas is a large and diverse state, and Perry is supposed to represent all the people that live there – including minorities.</p>
<p>By joining with the AFA, Perry has essentially endorsed this group and what it stands for. That means Perry is singling out certain Texans and making them feel unwelcome in their own state. He’s treating many Americans like second-class citizens and his actions have injured plenty.</p>
<p>This decision is certainly contrary to our Founding Fathers’ <a href="http://www.au.org/resources/history/nourishing-the-erroneous-idea.html">vision</a>. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison thought governmental prayer proclamations were unwise and constitutionally dubious. As president, Jefferson flatly refused to issue them. Madison issued such proclamations under pressure from Congress during the War of 1812 but later said he wished he hadn’t. Andrew Jackson, the nation’s seventh president, also refused to issue religious proclamations.</p>
<p>Yet Perry has taken it upon himself to do exactly what he was not elected to do, and it’s outrageous.</p>
<p>If you can, join us in Houston next Friday, and let’s send the governor a message.</p>
<p>P.S.: The “Family, Faith and Freedom” celebration will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Mount Ararat Baptist Church (5801 W. Montgomery Rd., Houston, Texas) on Aug. 5, the evening before “The Response." Please keep checking www. au.org for more details.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/american-family-association">American Family Association</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/government-sponsored-prayer">Government-sponsored prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/governmental-prayer-proclamations">governmental prayer proclamations</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-perry">Rick Perry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/texas">Texas</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/response">The Response</a></span></div></div>Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:41:41 +0000Sandhya Bathija2549 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/no-amen-from-us-perry-prayer-rally-gets-judge%E2%80%99s-approval-but-not-ours#commentsCorrecting A Confused Columnist: Why Gov. Perry’s Exclusionary Prayer Event Is Wrong For Texas – And Americahttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/correcting-a-confused-columnist-why-gov-perry%E2%80%99s-exclusionary-prayer-event
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been in the national news a lot lately – as I’m sure many of you have noticed.</p>
<p>Besides talk of his possible presidential run, the media has been very interested in the governor’s initiation and <a href="http://blog.au.org/2011/06/07/houston-we-have-a-problem-texas-governor-sponsors-stadium-prayer-rally/">endorsement </a>of “The Response,” a fundamentalist Christian prayer rally to be held in Houston Aug. 6.</p>
<p>Americans United has been <a href="http://blog.au.org/2011/07/01/the-fourth-of-july-and-freedom-why-texas-gov-perry-doesn%E2%80%99t-understand-america/">interested</a> in the event, as well. AU believes Perry’s sponsorship of a “Christians-only” event fails to honor our country’s religious diversity. His actions are divisive, unwelcoming and constitutionally inappropriate.</p>
<p>It’s even more outrageous when you consider that the outfit organizing the event, the American Family Association, has been classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.</p>
<p>Despite all these problems, there are still some out there who think Perry’s rally is a great idea.</p>
<p>Town Hall contributing writer Ben Shapiro is one of them. In a <a href="http://townhall.com/columnists/benshapiro/2011/07/20/rick_perrys_christianity_is_good_for_america">piece published online today</a>, he makes a very unconvincing case for why all Americans of faith should support Perry and “The Response.”</p>
<p>This is how Shapiro starts things off:</p>
<p>“For those who couldn't tell from my name, I’m a Jew. Not only am I Jew, I’m an Orthodox Jew. I pray three times a day to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I keep kosher. I wear phylacteries in the morning, and I say the Shema at night.</p>
<p>And I love Texas Gov. Rick Perry's ‘The Response.’”</p>
<p>Shapiro then proceeds to tell us that because he believes in God, he has no problem with Rick Perry believing in God, too.</p>
<p>He writes, “The left has entered the same bizarre and fetishistic anti-religious frenzy they always do when someone on the right mentions God.”</p>
<p>Shapiro quotes the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United’s executive director, to prove this point (though I’m unclear how a minister is a good example of the “anti-religious”).</p>
<p>Lynn is not the only religious leader opposed to Perry’s event, either. Dozens of others have <a href="http://houstonclergycouncil.org/">signed a statement</a> opposing Perry’s actions, and I’m certain none of them have a problem with God.</p>
<p>It just goes to show Shapiro is missing the point. This isn’t about whether someone believes in God or not. This is about the separation of church and state.</p>
<p>Perry, in his official role as governor, has no business promoting one religious belief over another, or religion over non-religion. It’s not his job to orchestrate prayer rallies or to ask other government officials to join with him.</p>
<p>Besides, Shapiro should really do his homework before advocating for a group like the AFA – an organization that the majority of Christians wouldn’t even feel comfortable associating with.</p>
<p>This is the same group that <a href="http://blog.au.org/2008/07/31/fast-food-freakout-the-afa-is-not-lovin-it-at-mcdonalds/">called for a boycott </a>of McDonald’s because the fast food chain said it welcomes gay families. It’s the same group that <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/10/20/christmas-cranks-afa-begins-annual-whine-fest-over-seasonal-greeting/">whines every year</a> when retailers use “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” It’s the same group that <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2001/05/donald-wildmon.html">chastised TV sitcoms</a> for any and all sexual content (and, at one point in time, kept a record of every mention of sex in these shows).</p>
<p>The AFA’s founder and former president Donald E. Wildmon has also been accused of <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2001/05/donald-wildmon.html">anti-Semitic rhetoric</a>, receiving (and ignoring) letters from the Anti-Defamation League in the past. The AFA’s journal has also reprinted articles from <em>The Spotlight</em>, a far-right, virulently anti-Semitic newspaper published by Willis Carto, a Holocaust "revisionist."</p>
<p>And, now, the group has told people who are not Christian (that includes you, Mr. Shapiro) that they <a href="//motherjones.com/mojo/2011/06/rick-perrys-prayerfest-only-christians-allowed">aren’t welcome to speak</a> at the Aug. 6 event because that would “invite false gods” and promote “idolatry.”</p>
<p>Yet Shapiro thinks the AFA’s event is a “net positive for the country,” will do “overwhelmingly good” and Perry is wise to support it.</p>
<p>Think again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/american-family-association">American Family Association</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ben-shapiro">Ben Shapiro</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/don-wildmon">Don Wildmon</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/government-endorsed-religion">government-endorsed religion</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-perry">Rick Perry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/texas">Texas</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/response">The Response</a></span></div></div>Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:54:07 +0000Sandhya Bathija2547 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/correcting-a-confused-columnist-why-gov-perry%E2%80%99s-exclusionary-prayer-event#commentsEducation Or Indoctrination?: Texas School Board Dives Into ‘Spiritual Battle’ Over Sciencehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/education-or-indoctrination-texas-school-board-dives-into-%E2%80%98spiritual-battle
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The Texas State Board of Education is heading back into the news this week.</p>
<p>The 15-member elected board will convene for a <a href="http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3785">public hearing</a> on Thursday to hear testimony and on Friday to debate and vote on instructional materials for public school science classes. Since Texas legislators don’t have enough funding to purchase new science textbooks, the <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7657581.html#ixzz1STMh5Zkg">state will buy $60 million</a> worth of online supplemental science materials based on the board’s recommendation.</p>
<p>This is not something scientists, educators, parents and civil liberties groups are taking lightly. The board is infamous for its adoption of science curriculum standards in 2009 that left open the door for approval of creationist materials.</p>
<p>What’s more, on July 1, Texas Gov. Rick Perry appointed Barbara Cargill (R-Woodlands) to serve as the chair of the board. Cargill, a former science teacher, <a href="http://tfninsider.org/2011/07/11/barbara-cargills-anti-science-agenda/">believes</a> that the debate over science education is a “spiritual battle.”</p>
<p>Cargill has voted with the board’s far-right bloc since elected. She is a <a href="http://tfninsider.org/2011/03/01/primer-texas-science-instructional-materials/">strong proponent</a> of teaching the “strengths and weaknesses” of evolution – code language for religiously grounded attacks on accepted science -- and was instrumental in the board’s passage of the current science standards.</p>
<p>During the 2009 debate, Cargill <a href="http://tfninsider.org/2011/07/07/barbara-cargill-v-science/">nominated</a> Ralph Seelke, a crony of the Discovery Institute, to serve on the recommendations panel. The Discovery Institute is a Seattle-based outfit that pushes so-called “intelligent design,” a variant of creationism.</p>
<p>This round of Texas deliberations doesn’t seem to be any different. Cargill is responsible for <a href="http://tfninsider.org/2011/05/13/creationists-appointed-to-science-review-panels/">appointing</a> one of three anti-evolutionists serving on the current science review panel. The panel will make recommendations to the state board about the science materials.</p>
<p>In a recent speech to the Eagle Forum, Cargill <a href="http://tfninsider.org/2011/07/08/barbara-cargill-some-things-never-change/">explained</a> her concern that the board was short one Christian since it approved the creationist-friendly curriculum standards in 2009.</p>
<p>"Right now there are six true conservative Christians on the board, so we have to fight for two votes,” she said. “In previous years, we had to fight for one vote to get a majority."</p>
<p>Her comments alerted critics that Cargill planned to continue voting based on her fundamentalist religious beliefs – not based on what scientists recommend or what’s best for Texas students.</p>
<p>Her words also <a href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/article/Education-board-s-new-boss-criticized-1470242.php">offended</a> other members of the board. Though they choose to vote for sound science, they are also Christian and don’t like intimations that they aren’t.</p>
<p>"It's going to continue the divisiveness rather than bring us together for the benefit of the schools and the kids,” <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7657581.html">said</a> board member Thomas Ratliff (R-Mount Pleasant), a Sunday school teacher and leader in the United Methodist church. “She's continuing to draw a line that is very judgmental.”</p>
<p>But for all the criticism Cargill has received from fellow board members and scientists, she’s drawn <a href="http://www.texastribune.org/texas-education/public-education/perry-appoints-cargill-head-state-education-board/">praise</a> from the Religious Right.</p>
<p>Needless to say, there is reason for alarm once again in Texas.</p>
<p>If you live in the Lone Star State, let the board of education know that you want sound science materials produced by scientists – not the Religious Right.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/barbara-cargill">Barbara Cargill</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/creationism">creationism</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/evolution">evolution</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-public-schools">Religion in Public Schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-perry">Rick Perry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/science">science</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/texas-state-board-education">Texas State Board of Education</a></span></div></div>Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:32:26 +0000Sandhya Bathija2546 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/education-or-indoctrination-texas-school-board-dives-into-%E2%80%98spiritual-battle#commentsSensible Separation: Dalai Lama Calls For Division Between Spiritual And Temporal Roleshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/sensible-separation-dalai-lama-calls-for-division-between-spiritual-and
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The Dalai Lama really gets it.</p>
<p>The Tibetan spiritual leader is in Washington, D.C., to lead a 10-day peace festival at a venue just a few blocks from Americans United’s national office.</p>
<p><em>The Washington Post</em> has been r<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dalai-lama-followers-gather-for-start-of-peace-festival/2011/07/06/gIQAAkhL1H_story.html">eporting</a> on the event. Yesterday the newspaper mentioned the Dalai Lama’s longtime support of the separation of church and state.</p>
<p>You may recall that the Dalai Lama<a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2011/07/dalai-lama-drops-tibetan.html"> gave up</a> his political and administrative powers as the head of Tibet’s government-in-exile in March. At yesterday’s peace festival, he said saw the “hypocrisy” of advocating for church-state separation as a religious leader while also being involved in official political and government matters.</p>
<p>“Now I can tell people religious institutions and political institutions must be separate,” he said. “My statement is now honest.”</p>
<p>I wish more heads of government in the United States could follow the Dalai Lama’s example. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is definitely one who should be taking notes.</p>
<p>Perry thinks it’s his role to act as both a religious leader and governor and has used his political power to <a href="http://www.au.org/media/videos/archives/2011/not-a-cowboy.html">sponsor</a> a fundamentalist Christian rally in Houston next month.</p>
<p>Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, who has said he will attend Perry’s rally, is another government official who could learn from the Dalai Lama. He’s crossed the church-state line from his first day in office, turning his swearing-in ceremony into a religious revival. And now, Brownback has <a href="http://blog.au.org/2011/06/27/faith-based-frenzy-kansas-governor-preaches-religion-as-solution-to-social-problems/">thrown his support</a> behind a state-funded, “faith-based” proselytizing program that he believes will help parolees stay out of prison.</p>
<p>Harrisburg, Pa., Mayor Linda Thompson can also take a page out of the Dalai Lama’s book. She recently <a href="http://blog.au.org/2011/06/22/misguided-mission-pa-mayor-leads-prayer-and-fasting-to-balance-the-budget/">organized</a> a prayer and fasting campaign to solve the city’s piling debt. Throughout her tenure as mayor, she’s continuously imposed her religious beliefs on her staff and the people of Harrisburg.</p>
<p>These are just the most recent church-state offenders. They think it’s appropriate to serve as both head of government and religious adviser. That doesn’t fly under our Constitution.</p>
<p>Our government leaders must stay neutral on matters of religion. If Perry, Brownback, Thomson and other elected officials want to preach, they need to rethink their line of work.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dalai-lama">Dalai Lama</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/linda-thompson">Linda Thompson</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-politics">Religion and politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-perry">Rick Perry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/sam-brownback">Sam Brownback</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/separation-church-and-state">Separation of Church and State</a></span></div></div>Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:57:08 +0000Sandhya Bathija2542 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/sensible-separation-dalai-lama-calls-for-division-between-spiritual-and#comments